And What a Creative Couple We Are!

Just a quick blog today as I have a day of baking and sewing planned, however I have to do all the boring cleaning and tidying chores first (yuck).
I'm afraid that once again I haven't been at my most productive this week, mostly due to spending to much time out and about Oxford, with friends. I did however make some lovely little ninjas for the U.K. Etsy Challenge. I don't have any pictures yet and I'm saving the launch until tomorrow morning anyhow!

It was mine and the lovely Graeme's 4 years of being together and 2 years of being engaged (I know, I know, that's like forever but we absolutely cannot agree on wedding plans!) celebrations of Thursday.

We had a lovely dinner out and then went to see a friends band. It was a very lovely yet relaxed evening.

We also exchanged these gifts....

I made this for him, it's only a tiny quilt, but it's to take away on tour and for recording, mostly so he'll have something to keep him warm when he's kipping on strangers floor boards, or travelling in the van!

And for me....

Graeme painted this picture here. I really love it, especially as he only took up painting a couple of weeks ago, and prior to this has no artistic training (he didn't even do GCSE art). So am very proud and impressed!

Have a lovely Saturday all, will back tomorrow with ninja news!

A Very Productive Saturday

Well after achieving so little during the rest of the week, I spent yesterday making up for it!

We got up early and I did my usual first activity of the day - check shop! Did all the rubbishy weekend chores (yuck!), then we took Tarty for a big long walk. We've been looking after Tarty for a friend off and on for a while now, but recently it's become more permanent, which makes Graeme very very happy! Once again we discovered more wonders in our little village including some woodland and a lovely canal side pub.

When we got back all windswept and cold we had a perfect winter lunch of soup and fresh bread. Graeme went off to band practice and I set about making sugar cookies (after a little kip on the sofa with Tarty of course).



They don't look as pretty as the pretend ones I made from polymer clay but they sure do taste better!

I also made some purses...






Here are some other things that made me happy this week,







Some new supplies that I can't really afford, but hey-ho, it's nearly payday!



Some very lovely smelliness I received from Lush Box Inc on Friday.

And on top of everything else, I reached my sales target for this month a whole week early! So in honour of this I purchased this lovely needle felting kit from Yarn punk. I can't wait for it to arrive I've been dieing to have a go since I saw examples at the craft fair I went to in Birmingham.

Hope you all had lovely weekends.

Yummy New Fabric

Not much crafting has been going on this week unfortunately, as I've been rather poorly. Well to be fair I've only had a cold, but I so rarely get sick that when I do I really take it to heart!

I did however receive these beauties from kitty craft....

They are so so so lovely!!! I 'm going to use them to make a quilt for my niece's first birthday, it's already late as it was her birthday on Friday, but I mean well!!

I also got sent this little extra freebie...

That really is all the news I have for today. I really have been slack this week. I promise to try harder from now on!!

Fruity Goodness

These are the jolly little charms I have been occupying myself with today.

I love all of them, I really couldn't say which is my favourite!
Apart from 2 of the strawberries (which are rings) they're all charms which I will sell ready to use for whatever you like. I have kept a strawberry for myself, which I've been wearing on a long silver chain, as you can see below!







Unfortunately the way I made the apple storks didn't work too well and they broke! But I did the pear a different way, so new apples using this technique will be available when I've made them!

I also made a very girly bracelet...

and posted these specially made buttons and beads to my loveliest of friends Melly

Ummm Lovely Old Books!

Argh, been an absent blogger the last few days and now have lots to catch up on!

I started a new job this week, hence my lack of computer time. I'm working in a card shop, and so far it has been very enjoyable.

I had lovely last few days of freedom with Graeme.

Kidlington managed to host both a craft fair and a book fair on Saturday, which was just far too much excitement for my little village!

The craft fair not so great (same old stuff) but the book fair was amazing! It was in a Methodist Church and was your typically jumble of book-like treasures at bargain prices that you would expect to find on such an occasion. Here are my two marvelous purchases...

The Beatrix Potter book obviously houses lots of wonderful images, however the Alice book has none which is a shame.

However here are some from Miss Potter herself...

I would have loved to have had a real good rummage through the old children's picture books, however children can be pretty vicious bargain hunters themselves and getting anywhere near the children's section was almost impossible!

Craft wise I made another very satisfying pile of candy type beads....

Apart from a very disastrous attempt at using resin, I won't even bother to show you pictures, craftyness has been put aside a bit so far this week but I intend on doing much more tonight and over the next few days.

So I should have lots more photos to show soon enough!

"Hello Mr Sewing Machine, my how I have missed you"

It has been quite some time since myself and the above mentioned sewing machine have kept company, but over the last few days we have been getting reacquainted with one another. And what a jolly good time we have had!
Often I think I avoid sewing, because I can get myself in quite a tizzy over the whole process! Compared to all the other crafts I partake in, such as knitting and crochet, I find sewing HARD.
However over the last couple of days I've learnt that it is this which can make the results so very rewarding.
I mean I can sew and I'm not bad at it, I just think perhaps I lack the patience that is required of me. I like projects that I can finish quickly and gain instant satisfaction from, anything that takes more than a couple of days tends to get left to one side, hence the fact my craft room is cluttered with half finished blankets!
It is because of this quality I am so so pleased with this....

A quilt! A whole (all be it small) quilt.

Here are some more pictures, because I am after all so very very proud!

It's by no means perfect and I appreciate it is very simple, but I love it and it's very cosy (although I do keep finding pins still hiding in it!).

So after that great accomplishment I went on to achieve some smaller ones...

I really love these little tote bags, and this is not something that is totally new to me (unlike the quilt) I made lots for Christmas presents last year.

The love heart bag is already for sale in my shop, however the cupcakes still have an unknown future. I really love it and don't know if I could bare to part with it. I was thinking of filling it with lots of cupcake goodies, such as rings and broaches and buttons and magnets and selling it as a super special cupcake treat! The lining is just amazing and was in fact the inspiration for the whole thing. Here's a little snippet for you...

The red bag is still incomplete as I cannot decide what to put on the front. It also has a super cute lining...

I just keep drawing blanks on this one, so any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Well I'm off to do so more sewing, have a lovely Wednesday.

Did I mention that I made a quilt!!